The present invention relates to an enhanced network architecture for providing Calling-Party-Pays (hereinafter CPP) billing services for customers of a wireless telephone network, such as cellular or personal communication service (PCS) customers. More particularly, the invention relates to the call processing of calls that are to be excluded from CPP status.
Wireless telephone communication systems have evolved from the initially introduced Advanced Mobile Phone Service (AMPS) technology to more sophisticated digital-based air interface protocols. Digital access technologies have been developed based on Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) or Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) schemes. Although these digital access technologies have advantages with respect to analog-based systems, they have not yet been deployed in as many regions as AMPS-based systems. However, digital cellular subscribers in many areas presently are offered continuous coverage via dual-mode wireless telephones capable of switching between a digital mode (e.g., CDMA) and an analog mode (e.g., AMPS).
Ordinarily, charges for wireless services air-time charges are applied to the party subscribing to the wireless service. The wireless carrier bills, either directly or through the local exchange carrier, a monthly subscription fee plus per-minute fees for telephone communications over-the-air to and from each subscriber""s telephone. A wireless subscriber is charged for the air-time, both on outgoing calls and on incoming calls directed to the subscriber""s cellular or PCS telephone. In contrast, call charges for landline telephone service usually are billed to the subscriber associated with the calling station. Alternative landline billing arrangements are available for collect call billing or 800/888 type xe2x80x9ctoll-freexe2x80x9d calling.
The costs for wireless air-time has tended to be high, compared to costs for traditional landline telephone services. In light of high costs and the fact that charges are incurred for air-time on incoming calls, many wireless subscribers have been reluctant to distribute widely their wireless telephone numbers. Such subscribers tend to utilize their wireless telephone for outgoing calls, as needed, but disclose their wireless telephone numbers to a limited number of friends or family from whom they are willing to pay to receive calls. Calls from relatively unknown parties, e.g. solicitors and nuisance sources, thereby are avoided.
To overcome these issues and to encourage increased wireless usage, the wireless industry has developed a modified billing arrangement, commonly referred to as xe2x80x9cCalling Party Pays.xe2x80x9d The intent of the service generally is to shift the air-time charges for calls to wireless telephones from the wireless subscribers to the callers. The calling party would pay for all network charges, in a manner more like that used in the normal landline service billing. A number of techniques have been developed for processing and billing call charges on a CPP basis.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,353,331 to Emery et al. discloses an intelligent network type integrated wireless and wireline system for processing calls to and from a Personal Communication Service (PCS) subscriber""s wireless handset via a home base station or a public cellular network. The service logic in the integrated service control point (ISCP) facilitates a variety of service enhancements to the wireless PCS service. One of the disclosed service enhancements is CPP. When the intelligent network functionality detects a call to the PCS customer""s number, the network accesses a call processing record for that customer. Based on that record, the network screens the call based on the caller""s identity. If the caller is not a recognized party, the ISCP database causes the network to play an announcement asking the caller if he or she is willing to pay all charges for the call. If the PCS subscriber is currently registered via a public wireless network switching office, the announcement would ask if the caller is willing to pay for the air-time necessary to complete the call via a wireless link. If the caller accepts the charges, the ISCP provides messages to a landline switch and/or to a mobile switch to instruct them to complete the call and to add charges for the air-time to the calling party""s telephone bill.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,579,379 to D""Amico et al. discloses an AIN-based PCS service similar to the Emery arrangement. D""Amico adds further details to the CPP operations of that network. When a call directed to a mobile subscriber is detected, the call processing is stopped to determine if the CPP feature is in operation. At the same time, the network collects data regarding the calling party for analysis. If the called subscriber is using the CPP feature, the ISCP analyzes the caller data to determine if the caller is on a list of those individuals not required by the particular mobile service subscriber to pay for cellular charges. If the calling party does not fall in this category, the network provides an announcement to the calling party, asking the calling party whether or not the calling party is willing to pay for air-time necessary to complete the call. If the caller indicates willingness to pay for the air-time, the AIN network functionality obtains correct billing information, and the network completes the call and computes the cellular charges.
In systems such as those of Emery et al. and D""Amico et al., a landline carrier typically operates the intelligent network and performs the routing services, for certain aspects of the follow-me functionality of the PCS service. The carrier operating that network also performs the billing services related to the CPP feature. If the caller is a subscriber of the landline carrier, that carrier adds the air-time charges to the subscriber""s normal telephone bill. The landline network carrier, rather than the cellular carrier, bears the responsibility of billing the calling party.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,557,664 to Burns et al. discloses use of a central database to determine whether to bill a calling party or a called party for charges for completion of a call to a mobile telephone. The illustrated system includes switches of a local exchange carrier network, switches of an interexchange carrier (IXC) network, one or more mobile switching centers and a service processor with announcement facilities, service logic and a database. If a calling station dials a telephone number of a party who subscribes to the CPP service, the local exchange switches extend the call to the originating IXC switch. The originating IXC switch provides a message, containing the dialed telephone number, to the service processor. The service processor retrieves a record corresponding to the dialed telephone number, and causes the announcement platform to provide an announcement regarding the pricing of the call through the network to the calling party. If the caller responds to the announcement by staying on the line to indicate acceptance of the charges, the service processor instructs the originating IXC switch to record billing information and notifies the billing system to charge the caller""s account. The service processor also provides the mobile identification number (MIN) for completion of the call, to the originating IXC switch. The IXC network includes an indicator, preferably in the form of the dialed number, together with the MIN in the signaling to the mobile switching center, as an indication to inhibit normal billing for the call.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,473,667 to Neustein discloses a paging network. The system utilizes an automated attendant, which prompts a caller for desired information, to make a page. As part of the control of a paging operation, a central processor checks the profile of the paged party in the profile data base. The profile data enables the system to provide a number of enhanced services to paging service subscribers. In one of the enhanced services a paging party pays for the service on a per call basis. With the disclosed CPP type paging service, the caller calls the nearest central station and dials in the number of the pager he desires to page. The caller then enters his own billing number, for example his own telephone number or calling card number. If the billing number is valid, the system accepts an alphanumeric message or voice message from the caller and initiates paging of the called party""s paging apparatus.
While all of the systems described above provide some level of effectiveness in billing for air-time to the calling party, each has certain practical limitations in actual use. When implemented in a real network, typically one carrier actually performs the calling party billing service for the wireless service provider. For example, using the Emery et al. type approach, a local exchange carrier might contract with a cellular carrier to perform the CPP billing. In the Burns et al. system the IXC performs the billing. In the Neustein system, at least some billing is done through a separate credit card or calling card company. All of the prior art systems have been subject to some leakage, because invariably, the company processing the bills can not efficiently bill every type of caller.
As a practical matter, the carrier performing the bill processing function can pass the CPP charges on only to those calling parties with whom that carrier has some type of existing billing arrangements. The local exchange carrier example actually provides the most effective solution, because on a very large percentage (typically 80-85%) of calls to the wireless telephone customers the callers are within the service area and are customers of the local exchange carrier. In such cases, the local exchange carrier can easily add the CPP charges to the normal telephone bills for the callers. However, some calls will not originate from customers of the billing carrier. In the local carrier example, that carrier has no billing relationship with parties who make incoming calls through an interexchange carrier, parties calling from payphones, parties calling from a hotel or motel or hospital, parties served by a competing local exchange carrier, parties calling from other wireless networks, etc. Calls that the billing carrier can not process to bill the charges to the calling party are considered xe2x80x9cleakagexe2x80x9d with respect to the CPP service.
The wireless carrier could elect not to complete calls that the billing carrier could not process for CPP service (leakage), and the carriers would set the call processing logic accordingly. However, the types of incoming calls that the network completes are then limited. This blockage of certain calls affects the attractiveness of the CPP service to wireless customers and sends a conflicting message to subscribers, particularly when the wireless carrier also is trying to encourage subscribers to widely distribute their wireless numbers to potential callers. To broaden usage in spite of leakage, some carriers have completed all incoming calls, and the wireless service carrier and/or the billing carrier has absorbed the leakage as a cost of doing business. The carrier(s) involved then must charge higher fees for the services or accept reduced profitability when compared to wireless services billed in the normal manner. Particularly from the point of view of the wireless carrier, who normally charges a per minute fee for all air-time, any completed but unbilled CPP calls essentially appear as lost revenues.
The other option for handling the problematic types of calls is to complete the calls to the subscriber but charge the air-time rates to the called subscriber. This approach is at odds with the purpose of the CPP service. The subscriber would not know if an incoming call receives the CPP treatment or accrues an air-time charge to the subscriber""s own account. As a result, the wireless service subscribers would remain reluctant to distribute their wireless telephone numbers to large numbers of potential calling parties, who may call in such a manner as to still generate charges to the subscribers.
A need thus exists for systems and methodologies which enable one or more carriers to provide CPP wireless services, with little or no leakage, i.e. no class of calls that the carriers can not efficiently bill to the calling party. The above-identified copending application, Ser. No. 9/456,550 (now U.S. Pat. No. 6,405,028), and incorporated herein by reference, addresses the above stated needs and overcomes the stated problems by providing a network architecture and call processing logic, which enable CPP billing for calls to wireless subscribers including incoming calls that would otherwise leak through the billing operations of the principle carriers. A landline network routes incoming calls for a CPP subscriber to the wireless carrier""s network. The landline network recognizes each call that is subject to CPP billing. If the carrier operating the landline network can bill a party associated with the calling station, that network routes the call to the mobile carrier""s network and creates records for billing for the air-time. However, if the landline network can not bill a particular calling party, the landline network hands the call off to another switch. This switch provides access to one or more alternate billing facilities. The alternate billing facilities preferably include a clearinghouse and a credit card billing system. A database indicates whether it is possible to bill for the air-time through the clearinghouse. If so, the switch completes the call to the mobile carrier""s network and creates appropriate records to enable the clearinghouse to bill the air-time to the party associated with the calling station. If the caller is not billable through the clearinghouse, the switch extends the call to the automated credit card billing system. The credit card system makes all necessary records to bill the air-time charges for the call and bills the time against the caller""s credit card account.
This arrangement as disclosed, however, would not provide the CPP billing service in a call placed by a wireless station to another to another wireless station in the same region (system) because no provision presently exists for passing such a wireless call to the landline local exchange carrier (LEC). Instead, routing and completion of the call would transpire within the mobile system, thus bypassing the landline CPP system. While this system could be modified to send all mobile to mobile calls out to the LEC for screening, such a provision would create a great amount of wasted trunk traffic for calls directed to mobile destinations that do not subscribe to the CPP service. A screening process in which the centralized database is accessed to lookup a nonexistent record frequently would occur and the processing time taken to route a call to a non CPP subscriber would be unnecessarily lengthened.
Alternatively, provision of a CPP screening capability in a redundant database within the mobile system itself would have attendant drawbacks. Such a provision would incur additional expense to duplicate elements that still would be necessary in the landline environment to handle calls that originate from units other than the mobile system sets.
A further complication with either of these alternatives would arise in the handling of a call placed by a prepaid mobile caller to a mobile Call Party Pays subscriber set. Prepaid phone calling charge cards for pre-established amounts are commonly available for purchase at various retail vendors. A mobile phone subscriber can purchase a set amount of credit in advance of actual usage. The purchaser would then register with the system by calling in from the mobile phone to which the credit is to be applied. After successful registration, the system automatically applies calling charges for subsequent usage of the phone against the registered credit on a real time basis. As the balance decrements to established thresholds by real time call rating, announcements are transmitted informing the user that the credit limit is being approached. Any call still in progress when the total prepaid amount has been used is automatically terminated. The initiation of a prepaid mobile call to a CPP mobile destination poses a challenge in tracking air-time charges in real time for both calling and called party usage, which often are determined at different rates, and appropriately allocating all charges to the calling party.
The above-identified copending application, Ser. No. 09/467,144 (now U.S. Pat. No. 6,397,055), and incorporated herein by reference, addresses the above stated needs for handling CPP calls that originate from wireless sources. The wireless mobile network is provided with the ability to recognize that a called wireless station is a CPP subscriber. Upon such recognition at the outset of a call, the wireless mobile network will route the call to a landline facility to undertake interactive communication with the calling station to determine whether the caller will agree to pay for both the called party""s air-time charges and the calling party""s air-time charges for the call. Caller authorization may be obtained, for example, by voice communication or by DTMF entry. The landline facility can then access a database to determine if the carrier with which it is associated can provide billing functions with respect to the calling subscriber and, if so, activate such functions for a carrier entity so identified. If the carrier cannot handle billing for the call, the call may then be routed to a clearinghouse facility, which either can itself handle the billing functions, if such an arrangement with the calling party has been previously established, or communicate with the caller to authorize billing charges to a credit card. The clearinghouse facility or an alternative processor platform can rate the call charges that will be applied to the credit card bill. The call can then be completed to the called station through the wireless communication network while rating of air-time charges for both calling and called parties takes place. A link to a node is immediately established upon placement of a pre-paid mobile subscriber call, so that the existing prepaid credit balance for phone usage can be correlated on a real time basis for both calling party and called party air time usage. The link will be maintained for CPP calls after the caller has indicated to the landline facility that billing for the called party air-time charges is accepted. The node will perform real time rating for both calling and called party charges and provide notification to the caller when the caller""s credit has been decremented to a predetermined level. Usage will be terminated upon exhaustion of the credit balance.
A need remains in the above described systems to provide the mobile system, in an efficient manner from a call processing perspective, the capability of handling calls to CPP subscriber stations from sources that are exempted from CPP application. At least two alternatives are available in which callers may gain exempt status. In a first alternative, the CPP mobile subscriber may establish a PIN to be used by any caller to avoid being responsible for the called party subscriber""s air time charges. Those persons for whom the subscriber is willing to pay for incoming calls can be given the PIN by the subscriber. Upon placement of a call to the subscriber, the caller is given the opportunity to enter the PIN. If a valid PIN is entered, CPP exempt status is established. The system must change the accounting and billing process from charging the calling party for air time to charging the called party. In a second alternative, the CPP subscriber may formulate a xe2x80x9cVIPxe2x80x9d list of telephone numbers from which calls will be exempt from the CPP status. The list is stored in a landline system data base that is accessed upon placement of calls to the subscriber. A match of the calling telephone number with a number in the list thus will initiate a change in the accounting and billing process to charge the called party, rather than the calling party, for the called party""s air time usage. Both alternatives may be implemented concurrently or individually.
Once a PIN has been verified or a calling number has been found to match a VIP listing, the use of a landline system for supervising CPP treatment is no longer necessary. Landline resources and trunks should not needlessly be tied up thereafter. A technique is needed to transition efficiently to conventional treatment of calls to mobile users.
An additional need exists to provide a CPP subscriber the capability of knowing that an incoming call is an exception to the CPP service. Such capability would give the subscriber an option of not answering if incurring charges is not desirable at that time. The subscriber could then feel more freedom to expand the base of individuals to whom the PIN will be divulged or will be added to the VIP listing. Mobile phones conventionally have the capability to display menu information, messages and caller ID information. Display of CPP exempt status of an incoming call would relieve the subscriber from otherwise having to remember whether a call from a particular individual is a CPP exempt call. Mindful of the exempt status, the subscriber can be aware to efficiently limit the time of engagement of the call.
The present invention fulfills the aforementioned needs, at least in part, by linking landline facilities to a wireless mobile network for calling party pays calls to mobile stations. In response to placement of a telephone call to a CPP subscriber station, a land line network data base is accessed to obtain a call processing record for the called station that is indicative that the called station subscribes to CPP service. Based on the call processing record, a determination is made as to whether the call is be accorded exception status from CPP service. If the call is to receive such exception status, a signaling message is transmitted to the mobile switching center (MSC) for the called subscriber station. The signaling message includes the calling station telephone number in altered form. The MSC, upon detection of the altered telephone number, effectively recognizes the call as a normal call. The MSC will complete the call to the called party and establish in the called party subscriber""s billing record assessment of air time charges for the call to the called party. If the called mobile station is in the vicinity of a xe2x80x9cvisitingxe2x80x9d MSC, the latter will receive the signaling message as relayed from the subscriber""s MSC. If the call is not entitled to CPP exception status, the telephone number of the calling party will not be altered in the signaling message and the treatment for billing of the call preferably is handled as disclosed in either of the two above-identified pending applications.
The signaling message may preferably be an IAM message that is generated by the land line switch. Alteration of the telephone number in the content of the message may be accomplished in several ways. As it is desirable to maintain the final seven digits of the telephone number in its original form for purposes of accurate billing information, caller ID identification, etc., other changes to the IAM calling number field are contemplated. The IAM calling number field conventionally allocates twenty digits, of which ten digits normally are populated. In one preferred embodiment of the invention the number is altered for purposes of indication of CPP exempt status by added an eleventh digit to the IAM calling number field. For example, a xe2x80x9c1xe2x80x9d (or equivalent change) can be added in the digit before the ten digit calling telephone number. As an alternative, the area code of the calling number can be changed to a predesignated number or alphanumeric string that is dedicated to the purpose of CPP exempt status indication.
As the number of exception calls is expected to be significantly fewer than xe2x80x9cnon-exceptionxe2x80x9d calls, calling telephone number alteration in the signaling message has been indicated for CPP exception situations. However, it is to be understood as being within the contemplated invention that the reverse implementation is available; that is, such alteration can instead be applied to calls that are to be treated as CPP service calls, while the exceptions can be signaled without such alteration. The MSC readily can be configured for either alternative. The altered number is transmitted to the called party for display as a caller ID number. Display of the altered number alone, or the addition of an additional identifying indication to the display, will alert the called party to the exception status of the incoming call.
The call processing record may contain a xe2x80x9cVIPxe2x80x9d listing of telephone numbers selected by the subscriber to be exempted from CPP status, and/or may contain a PIN which may be divulged by the subscriber to persons of his/her choice. Exempt status of a call is determined by a match of the calling telephone number with a telephone number of the VIP list or a match of input received from the calling party with the stored PIN.
Additional advantages of the present invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in this art from the following detailed description, wherein the preferred embodiments of the invention are shown and described, simply by way of illustration of the best mode contemplated of carrying out the invention. As will be realized, the invention is capable of other and different embodiments, and its several details are capable of modifications in various obvious respects, all without departing from the invention. Accordingly, the drawings and description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature, and not as restrictive.